Stranded
by Deana
Summary: John and Carson accidentally crash a Jumper on the mainland, with no way to contact Atlantis for help. Of course, the desperate situation quickly turns life threatening for them both. NO SLASH.
1. Oops

**Stranded  
**A Stargate: Atlantis story by Deana Lisi  
Disclaimer: I don't own any SG characters.

Takes place during season 1, which would make the year 2004. NO SLASH

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"Major?"

"Carson?"

"Uh…what d'we do now?"

John Sheppard sighed, looking at the ceiling…or was it the floor? "Well, it might be a good idea to get out of our seats." He looked over at the equally upside-down CMO of Atlantis. "Are you hurt?"

Carson Beckett returned the look, an expression of shock easily readable on his face. "No…jus' me pride. You?"

Sheppard shook his head. "Nope. And it wasn't your fault," he said, starting to unbuckle the seatbelts that had thankfully held him firmly in his seat.

"How could it _not_ be?" Carson exclaimed, shakily. "_I'm_ the one flyin' this bugger, so obviously _I'm_ the one who flipped us upside down!"

Sheppard shook his head as he yanked on one of the belts, which appeared to be stuck. "No, right before we went down, I saw—"

A gasp interrupted him, and he looked at the doctor again.

Carson had a wince on his face. "I think I spoke too soon."

"What's wrong?"

Carson raised his right hand and carefully touched the side of his neck. Slowly, he turned his head away from Sheppard, but stopped after less than an inch, closing his eyes in obvious pain.

"Carson?" Sheppard asked, grabbing his arm, trying to see.

"Whiplash," Carson told him, reopening his eyes.

John winced in sympathy. "Ouch."

"Aye," the doctor agreed. "Also…I'm stuck."

"Hold on," Sheppard said, yanking on the stuck buckle that still kept him in his seat. "I'll help ya—" he broke off with a yelp when the seatbelt easily opened and dumped him onto the floor...or rather, ceiling. Years of training caused him to quickly twist so that he thankfully avoided breaking his neck.

"M-Major?" Carson said, his stutter the result of held-in laughter.

"Shut up," John replied. He stood up, glad that the Puddle Jumper's interior height wasn't too high. Carson's upside-down face was nearly level with his own. "Hello," he joked.

Carson rolled his eyes. "Jus' get me outta here, please! I think every drop of blood in m'whole body has rushed ta me head!"

"Workin' on it," John told him, studying the straps. "This won't be easy, so just hang in there, doc."

"Hang…" Carson mumbled.

"Sorry. Okay, now listen; I'll unbuckle you. Hold onto the armrests real tight, 'cause you're gonna slide out pretty fast."

"Great," Carson said.

"Don't worry doc, I'll catch ya."

Carson gave no reply, trusting the military man and trying to ignore his pain.

Sheppard reached towards the three seatbelts and unlocked them one by one, leaving the stuck one for last. It was harder than his own jammed one had been, and he looked at Carson when he heard the doctor sigh. "Almost there, doc, don't pass out on me."

"Heh," Carson replied, feeling his limbs going numb. "I'll try not ta." He closed his eyes, waiting impatiently.

"I don't understand this," John said a minute later, still unable to open the buckle. He reached over further, trying to see it better.

"Mfph!" Carson suddenly exclaimed, getting an armful of jacket in his face.

"Whoops," said John. He backed up a step and sighed. "Maybe I should shoot it," he joked.

"What?!" Carson exclaimed.

"No, suppose we can't do that." John sighed again and reached over for another try. Unexpectedly, the buckle popped loose immediately and Carson would've fallen head-first if John's lightning-fast reflexes hadn't grabbed him around the shoulders.

"Ack!" Carson exclaimed, trying to hold onto the arms of the seat.

"It's okay, doc," said John. He carefully started to pull him down, wrapping his arms under Carson's armpits and across his chest. When he met with resistance, he said, "You can let go now."

But Carson didn't. "I'm still in the air!"

"Of course you are!" said John, trying to be careful of the doctor's neck. "But I can't pull you any further unless you let go."

Carson tried to look down, but was unable to in his current position, nevermind the condition of his neck. John's hands were locked together right over his sternum, and dug in uncomfortably. The angle that he was still hanging in had his neck craned forward, causing the pain to double. "Argh…" he whined.

"Just let go, Carson, I won't let you fall," John told him, getting exasperated.

The doctor finally obeyed, and John held him tightly as his legs fell out of the seat. He tried to take a step back, to give Carson room to properly stand, but since they were standing on the ceiling, not the floor, the Major forgot about the control panel that protruded directly behind him. He tripped, and they both fell in a heap.

Carson, his head swimming as his circulation tried to correct itself, lay there limply. He could hear the rush of blood in his ears, and frowned when another sound filtered through.

Lying on the floor, half under Carson, Major Sheppard was laughing. A second later he sat up and looked at the doctor. "I _tried_ to not let you fall," he said.

Carson knew that it wasn't the other man's fault. "Thanks," he said.

"How's your neck?" Sheppard asked, concerned. "I didn't hurt you worse, did I?"

Carson carefully sat up. "I don't think so," he lied. He held his hand against his neck as he tried to look up at the seats, not succeeding very well. "Yer no' plannin' to tell anyone about this, are ya?"

Sheppard grinned. A slow, wide, menacing grin. "Well, doc, that depends."

Carson closed his eyes. "On what?"

"On your promise that you won't come at me with any needles for…oh…at least a year."

"Oh, lad, ya can't be serious!"

Sheppard chuckled and stood, holding out a hand to help his friend up.

Carson accepted it, staggering a little when circulation finally made it back to his legs. "What d'we do now?" he asked again, trying to keep his balance on the uneven roof.

Not answering, John turned to the upside down communications board, and tried to work it over his head. "Atlantis, come in," he said.

No answer.

"Atlantis? Dr. Weir? Anyone?"

Nothing.

"Damaged?" Carson asked.

John nodded. "Looks that way." He put a hand up to his ear to activate his earpiece, but it was gone. Muttering under his breath, he looked around for it. "Use your earpiece," he said.

Carson reached up for his own, before frowning. "Uh…"

John looked at him in shock. "Yours is gone too?!"

Carson nodded, turning his head to search, but winced and grabbed his neck. "They musta gone flyin' when we crashed."

John sighed, not spotting either of the tiny devices on the floor.

"We can't call for help?" Carson asked.

John shook his head.

"Oh crap!" the doctor exclaimed. He looked for a place to sit down, before remembering that the seats were currently over their heads. Sighing, he sat on the floor…which was actually the ceiling.

John dropped to his knees and continued to look, crawling around. "I can't believe this!" he exclaimed. "We _both_ lost them? That kind of thing only happens on TV!"

"Aye," said Carson. "And then the characters go through hell tryin' ta get back home."

John sighed, sitting up and looking at the doctor. "Yeah, but they always make it!"

"Usually half-dead," Carson said, looking nervous.

John stood and looked down at him, shaking his head. "You need to be more optimistic. I think you need to drink less coffee, too. You have way too much anxiety."

Carson tried to look up at him, but couldn't move his head that much. "Can ya blame me? Lately, our lives have become one disaster after another!"

John saw his point, and patted Carson on the shoulder before starting for the door. "We can either sit here and worry or we can try to get home!"

"Try how?" Carson asked, following. "We have no communication ta Atlantis, and even if we reach the ocean, we can't exactly cross it!"

"True," said John, unlocking the upside-down door. "But Teyla's people live around here somewhere, and they have equipment to contact Atlantis. If we can make it there, we're all set."

Carson's expression changed, and he sighed with relief. "Thank God."

The door opened, and a chilly wind blew in. The two men grabbed their supplies and left the Puddle Jumper.

TBC

Not much happening yet, but that's definitely gonna change! Bwahahahaha! LOL ;)


	2. Owie

"Which way d'we go?" Carson asked, looking around the landscape.

"Uh…" said John. He shaded his eyes, spinning in a slow circle, trying to figure out where they were. After a minute, he chose a direction. "That way."

Carson looked at him for a second. "Are ya sure?" he asked, knowing well John's lousy sense of direction.

John tried to look convincing. "Yeah. Well…pretty sure."

_We're doomed._ Carson sighed, but followed the Major, carrying the Puddle Jumper's pack of medical supplies over his left shoulder. As they walked, he suddenly remembered something. "Ya said that ya saw something before we crashed?" he asked, crossing to John's right side so he could turn his head to look at him without causing himself unnecessary pain.

"Yeah," John answered. "The scanners showed a disturbance in the atmosphere."

"Ya mean like turbulence?"

"Right. Stronger though, almost like a microburst. It literally knocked us out of the sky."

"Microbursts shouldna happen without reason," said Carson, meteorology being one of his interests. He tried to look at the sky, sighing when his neck refused to allow him.

"Maybe it's that way on Earth," said John. "But apparently not here!"

They walked in silence for a minute, before Carson spoke again. "Sorry."

John looked at him. "For what?"

"If ya hadn't been teachin' me ta fly, this wouldna happened."

John smiled. "No big deal…we survived, didn't we? I see it as a mini-vacation; hangin' around outside with nothing to do!"

Carson returned the smile, though it was strained.

John sighed. "Okay, spill it."

Carson frowned. "Spill what?"

"You're nervous again."

"Of course I am!"

"Why?"

"Because we don' know everythin' that's out here!" Carson told him. He said nothing else, feeling like a whining baby. "Jus' ignore me."

John shook his head, knowing that the civilian doctor wisely preferred the safety of home over potentially dangerous travel. "I'd never do _that_, doc. Besides, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," he said, pulling out his P-90 and giving it a pat. "In fact, here." He took his .9 out of his side holster, and handed it out to his friend.

Carson looked at it for a second, before reaching out to take it.

"Fully loaded!" John told him.

Carson hated using weapons. As a doctor, his life revolved around saving lives, not ending them. He was no fool, though, and stuck the gun in the waistband of his pants. "Thanks."

A sudden gust of wind blew, and it made Carson shiver. He saw that John didn't seem affected by it at all, his jacket wide open. "Zip yer jacket," he said, his physician instincts coming through.

John shot him a funny look. "Excuse me?"

"Aren't ya cold?"

John shook his head.

Carson shrugged. "Suit yerself. Don' come runnin' ta me when ya get sick."

John laughed and stopped walking. "Are you serious? You know that being out in the cold can't give someone the flu."

"True, but prolonged exposure can reduce the effectiveness of yer body's immune system, which can make ya more susceptible ta catching something."

John shrugged. "Well, unless _you've_ got some bug that you plan to so graciously pass along, I don't see anyone around to catch anything from!" he said, but he zipped it, and continued walking.

Carson was slightly surprised that he'd won so easily, and followed.

"Treating me like a kid when I'm older than you," John mumbled…just loud enough for Carson to hear.

The doctor stopped. "How did ya find _that_ out?"

"I can tell," John answered.

"How?" Carson asked.

John opened his mouth, but shut it again, not wanting to say anything insulting. "Uh…I dunno."

Carson looked skeptical.

"No, it was a guess," John said. "I didn't really think you were younger than me, I was just…yanking your chain."

Carson frowned. "So ya really thought I was _older_, then?"

John shook his head, ready to laugh at the ludicrous conversations they were having. "_No_, already, it's not like I ever gave it thought. Why are you sensitive about your age?"

"I'm not."

"Ooookay," John said.

They walked on in silence again, not seeing anything to indicate that they were nearing the Athosian tribes. The landscape was mostly barren with a lot of nearby rock and mountains, and trees far off in the distance.

Carson's neck was killing him, the pain spreading up his head and down his shoulder. He slung the medical pack off his shoulder and dug through it.

Sheppard saw, and stopped.

Lowering his head hurt too much, so Carson plopped the pack in John's arms. "Hold this."

The Major obeyed, watching as the doctor looked through it. "What are you looking for?"

"Painkillers."

"Oh."

Carson found the pills that he wanted, and John took a bottle of water out of one of the survival packs that he carried. As the doctor drank it, he screwed his eyes tightly shut from the pain of tilting his head back.

"You really did a number on yourself," John said.

Carson couldn't stop a groan as he lowered his head again. "Aye, but it coulda been worse."

"Maybe we should stop for a rest."

"No," Carson said, barely catching himself before he shook his head. "I'm fine. The sooner we find help, the better."

John nodded and continued walking.

Carson slung the medical pack over his shoulder again and followed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Elizabeth?"

"Hello, Rodney."

Rodney McKay crossed the distance that separated him from Dr. Weir's desk. He looked worried and didn't return her smile. "Do you know where Carson is?"

She nodded. "He and John took a Puddle Jumper on a flying lesson."

Rodney blinked and whacked himself on the forehead. "Oh! That's right. I forgot."

Elizabeth frowned. "Something wrong? Do you want me to contact him?"

"No no," Rodney said, shaking his head. "I just wanted him to test a new medical gadget that I found. Looked everywhere for him, but no one knew where he was."

"Ah," Elizabeth said. "I'll let you know when he gets back."

"Thanks," Rodney said, turning and going back the way he'd came.

Elizabeth went back to her computer. Hours later, she'd wished with all her being that she'd tried to contact the two men after all…

TBC  
That last sentence says a lot, doesn't it? LOL  
By the way, that birthday info is true: in real life, Joe is 1/5/67, and Paul 1/5/69. Cool, huh? lol


	3. Brrr

Merry Christmas, everyone! Here's chapter 3, in which the whump begins! LOL

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An hour after they'd begun walking, Carson felt ready to drop. The painkillers had hardly had any effect on him, and he wished that he'd accepted John's offer of a rest. He refused to ask for one, though, not wanting to appear weak.

John, on the other hand, was enjoying himself. The temperature had fallen a few more degrees, but he hardly noticed.

"How long were ya in Antarctica?" Carson suddenly asked.

"Almost a year," said John.

"What state are ya from?"

"Idaho," John answered.

"That explains it," Carson said.

"Explains what?"

"Why the cold doesn't bother ya."

"Oh. Yeah, winter was always my favorite season."

"Humm," said Carson, folding his arms to keep himself warmer.

John studied him for a minute. "How're you holding up?"

"Fine."

"Right," said John, seeing the crinkles around Carson's eyes that indicated his pain. "Let's stop for a minute. I'm hungry."

Carson couldn't hold back his sigh of relief as he put the medical pack down. A blanket was suddenly tossed to the ground beside him.

"Sit on that, the ground is too cold," John told him.

Carson obeyed, watching as John dug out the dreaded powerbars.

Sheppard knew how much Carson disliked them, so he gave the doctor first choice. "Peanut butter, raisin-cinnamon, or oats and honey?"

"Raisin-cinnamon?" Carson echoed. "There are none o' those on Atlantis! I'll take that one."

John handed it over. "I guess the Puddle Jumper was stocked before we ran out of that flavor."

Carson took a bite, finding that it didn't taste half as bad as the ones that remained on Atlantis. "Not bad. Are there anymore?"

John handed him two others, and Carson stuck them in his pocket.

They just sat there for a while, while Carson shuffled through the medical pack again, looking for anything else that might help his neck.

"Maybe you should wear a brace," John suggested.

"I should, but I won't," Carson answered. "Too uncomfortable."

John snorted. "I'll remember that if you ever try to force one on _me_."

Carson chuckled.

John looked up to the sky, seeing the sun rapidly descending. He guessed that they had less than three hours before it set. He kept from mentioning that fact to the nervous doctor. "Ready to go?" he asked.

Carson started to nod his head, but stopped with a wince. "Aye."

Standing, they grabbed their packs and walked on.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rodney went into the mess hall, looking for Carson again, assuming that they'd come back in time for supper. A few people said hello, and he waved back distractedly. Not spotting his friend, he left with a frown, and nearly walked right into Teyla and Elizabeth.

"Aha! Just who I was looking for!" he said. "Have you heard from Carson and John?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No."

Rodney sighed. "Shouldn't they have been back by now?"

"Maybe they are and we simply do not know it," Teyla suggested.

Elizabeth looked at Rodney, frowning. "Let's go find out," she said, heading back down the hall.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Can things get much worse? _Carson wondered.

The landscape had changed; drastically. No more did it appear barren and dry…now, it was quickly turning into a winter wonderland. As sunset approached, the temperature dropped a few more degrees, and snowflakes began falling not long after.

Carson shivered uncontrollably, his hands shoved under his armpits in an effort to warm them. He and John wore their typical uniforms, and though they included jackets, they weren't designed to keep out winter cold.

John scanned the horizon, desperately hoping to see smoke or some kind of indication that they were nearing the Athosian people. There was nothing. _We're going the wrong way, _he thought.

"We're goin' the wrong way, aren't we?" Carson asked.

John looked at him, guiltily. "Maybe not," he said. "It could just be further than we think."

"Than _you_ think. I've no idea where I'm bloody goin', and it's gettin' dark!"

John sighed. The doctor looked like a little lost dog…a little, snow-covered lost dog. "I'm sorry, doc."

"We're gonna die," Carson mumbled. Snowflakes landed on his eyelashes, and he tried to blink them away.

"We have to find shelter before it gets any darker," John said. "Let me know if you see a cave or something."

Carson sighed, grateful that the mountains were to his left. The right side of his neck still hurt, and the cold was making it stiff.

John took a flashlight out of one of the packs, but fumbled with it thanks to his frozen hands. He dropped it in the snow, and muttered angrily as he stooped to pick it up.

Standing, he handed it to Carson and shined the light on his P-90 at the mountain.

"See anything?" Sheppard asked.

"N-no," Carson stuttered, teeth chattering.

Normally optimistic, John couldn't hold back a sigh. He knew if they didn't get out of this weather as soon as possible, they might be returning to Atlantis as frozen corpses.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Their Puddle Jumper never returned!?" Elizabeth exclaimed.

The nervous gate-console tech shook his head. "No…I just realized it a few minutes ago, and was about to notify you."

"Try to contact them."

The tech complied, opening a channel.

"Major Sheppard, Dr. Beckett, this is Dr. Weir, do you read me?"

When no reply came, Rodney started biting his nails.

"John?" Elizabeth said. "Carson?"

Nothing.

"We must find them," Teyla said, nervously.

Elizabeth nodded. "Go."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_I never expected the day ta end like this, _Carson thought.

At the moment, the two men were climbing the mountain, towards what appeared to be a cave.

"How you doin', doc?!" John called, a little ways above him. His voice was nearly whipped away by the wind.

"Oh, jus' fine!" Carson yelled back, sarcastically. Combining the fact that he was frozen solid and could hardly feel his extremities, rockclimbing was never one of his hobbies. He reached out for a handhold, fingers numb and sluggish. He couldn't get a grip, and his stomach did a jolt at the thought of falling.

A hand suddenly grabbed his, and it felt like he was holding an ice cube. "Come on! Try to go faster!" John said, pulling him up higher.

"F-f-faster?!" Carson stuttered, his body trembling violently from the cold. "I c-can h-hardly do t-this at all!"

John pulled the doctor equal to his own height on the rock, and held onto his arm until Carson had a grip. "We're a-almost there," said John, his own teeth chattering. "Keep going!"

Carson groaned, the act of looking up straining his injured neck.

Somehow, by nothing less than a miracle, they climbed their way to the ledge and John scrambled up, adrenaline assisting him as they reached their goal. He pulled Carson the rest of the way, where they lay in the snow, gasping.

Carson had never been so cold in all his life. He knew that the risk of hypothermia was very real, and was positive that their body temperatures had already begun to drop. He still felt lucid, so he knew that his temp hadn't fallen _too_ much yet, but he knew that it was only a matter of time…unless they were rescued soon. He suddenly felt someone shaking his arm.

"Carson," said John, pulling him up. "We gotta get inside…we can't lie out here."

_I knew that, _Carson thought. He briefly wondered if he wasn't completely lucid after all, before they suddenly heard a roar and something huge crashed into them.

Slammed to the hard, frozen ground, Carson let out a shocked yelp as the creature—which he realized was an animal similar to a mountain lion—growled over them.

A gunshot sounded, startling the animal, which fled. Carson realized that the bullet came courtesy of John. He also realized, as he lay dazed and in pain, that the light from the Major's P-90 illuminated the snow around them, which was spattered with blood. _Is it John's, the lion's, or mine?_ Carson wondered. He had no chance to find out before darkness closed in on him.

TBC  
Told ya there would be whump! LOL! ;)


	4. Shelter

Happy New Year, everyone, and Happy Birthday to Paul McGillion and Joe Flanigan! Funny coincidence that I posted today, (you'll see what I mean as you read this chapter!) I know that the author alert isn't going to be sent out because of ff's current problem, but it's been long enough since I posted that nasty cliffhanger, LOL! ;) Enjoy! Reviews are much appreciated, of course! ;)

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Dr. Weir quickly assembled rescue parties to search for John and Carson, using every one of their Puddle Jumpers. Rodney and Teyla boarded one together in the company of a few marines, and quickly left the floating city.

"What do you think happened to them?" Rodney asked, nervously, flying in his customarily erratic way.

Teyla shook her head. "I have no way of knowing, Rodney."

The scientist rolled his eyes. "Of course you don't! I meant guesses, or something!"

"Why should we venture forth to guess?" the Athosian asked. "We would most likely be wrong."

Rodney shook his head. "Nevermind! Forget I asked! Just let me know if you see anything."

Teyla shot him a look as if to say, 'Did you think I would not?'

"Right," Rodney sighed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Carson was being dragged, and it hurt. Startling awake, he gave an exclamation of pain and fear, thinking that the mountain lion was carrying him away for its dinner.

"Easy, Carson, it's me!"

The motion stopped, and Carson blinked his snow-covered eyes, seeing the fuzzy image of John standing over him in the dark.

"There's blood all over you," Sheppard said, shining the flashlight through the blowing snow, his P-90 slung over his shoulder. "Is it the animal's, or yours?"

Carson blinked his eyes into focus. "I could ask you the same thing!" Speaking caused a massive flair of pain to shoot through his chest, and he gasped.

John knelt beside him, trying to see what was wrong.

Carson closed his eyes, suddenly unable to take a breath. The pain along with the bitter air was preventing his lungs from working properly.

"Carson!" John exclaimed, seeing that the doctor couldn't breathe.

"Ox…ox…" Carson tried to say.

John understood, and dug through the medical pack, ripping out an oxygen mask. He held it over his friend's face, watching nervously.

Carson knew what was wrong with him, and the oxygen wasn't quite needed as much as the mask itself; it trapped the air that he exhaled and inhaled again, warming it enough to partially unseize his lungs.

"Carsonnnn…" John said, impatiently.

The doctor moved the mask away. "I'm fine," he gasped. "Let's go."

John didn't look like he believed him, but he helped Carson up—hiding a wince of his own—and they staggered for the cave entrance. Once inside, they made it to the back before collapsing in a heap.

Carson, though his body temperature was even lower than he thought, and despite his injuries, tried to wiggle free and check on Sheppard. He'd hardly moved before gasping from pain and lying still again. He simply breathed for a few seconds, before saying, "Major?"

"Fine, Carson, just tired," said John's voice, unreadable.

"I'll be the judge o'that," said the doctor, trying to sit up again. Once more, he failed. "Owwww…" he couldn't help but say.

This time, John tried to move, and succeeded in sitting up. "Not much warmer in here," he said.

"No," Carson agreed, shivering, a hand wrapped around his ribs. "But…at least it's…shelter." It hurt to talk.

John scooted closer, trying to see him. "What happened out there? You couldn't breathe."

Carson took as deep a breath as he dared, carefully touching his midsection. "A rib," he gasped. "Or two. You?"

John felt around for his P-90, which he'd dropped. "Got a little slashed up by that thing." He found the weapon and switched on the light. Aiming it at Carson, he frowned. "And you did too."

Carson opened his eyes, blinking at the light. His not-so-lucid mind startled at the sight of the gun nozzle. "Don' point that at me!"

John winced. "Sorry." He put it down and dragged the packs closer, digging out the flashlight again. Holding it, he suddenly paused and closed his eyes.

Carson, his eyes also closed, didn't notice.

John reopened them a few seconds later and shook his head a little, before turning the flashlight on and pulling himself closer to Carson. "Lemme see, doc. Can I roll you over?"

Carson wanted to say 'no', knowing that it would hurt, but nodded instead.

Sheppard gently turned Carson from his side onto his back, frowning at the bloodstains that covered his gray jacket. With still-frozen hands, he reached for the zipper and tried to pull it down, but they were both wet from the snow and ice had formed on the metal. Not only that, but his fingers didn't want to cooperate. "Oh great," he said.

Carson barely heard him, his body trying to shut itself down by dragging him closer and closer to sleep. Part of his mind knew that sleeping with hypothermia was a death sentence, but the other part of his mind was too tired to think straight.

John ran frozen hands over his face, knocking ice crystals out of his hair. He wished that he had a stunner with him…if he shot a rock with it, maybe it would create heat. He didn't want to rip Carson's jacket to get to his wounds, because the doc needed it for warmth. _How can it provide warmth if it's wet? _his mind said. The Major realized that he wasn't thinking clearly either, and knew it was due to his lowered body temperature.

He had no idea how long they'd laid unconscious in the snow after being attacked by that creature.

John suddenly realized how motionless Carson had become, and it sent a jolt of fear through him. "Carson? Don't sleep! Wake up!"

The doctor mumbled incoherently.

Afraid to hurt him, John refrained from shaking him, since he didn't know the full extent of his injuries. "Carson," he said again. "You _can't_ sleep!" Still getting no response, he yelled this time. "_Carson_!"

"Wha?!" the doctor exclaimed, his body giving a startled jerk.

"Sit up," said John, hoping that it would help keep him awake. He slid an arm under the doctor's shoulders and gently pulled him upright, halting though when Carson groaned.

"Stop," Carson told him, breathlessly. "Ribs…"

Sighing, John laid him back down again. "Tell me what your injuries are."

"Ribs," Carson mumbled again, eyes closed.

"I got that part," said John, realizing that Carson wasn't completely lucid. "What else?"

Carson opened his eyes, seemingly not hearing the question. "Where are we?"

"Stuck in a cave in the middle of a snowstorm," John answered, trying again to unzip the doctor's jacket. It was still frozen, so John grabbed the packs and dragged them closer, taking out both blankets and draping them over the doctor. "Carson?" he said. "You still with me?"

It took a second for him to answer, but he did. "If yer still here…then I'm still with ya…"

John blinked. "No, I meant…nevermind."

A few minutes passed, with John shivering and trying to keep Carson awake, while praying that the doctor's jacket zipper would unfreeze with the help of the blankets. To his relief, it actually worked, and he managed to get the jacket open after a brief struggle.

Blood covered most of Carson's t-shirt, and John shined the flashlight on the jagged tears in the material. Some of the cuts on Carson's midsection looked pretty deep, and John didn't relish the thought of stitching them. "Carson?" he said.

The doctor moved his head slightly, eyes still closed.

"Stay awake, doc," John said, carefully touching his ribs, looking for the injured ones. A few seconds later, the doctor flinched and gave an exclamation of pain.

John immediately pulled his hand away. "Sorry."

"What ya doin'?!" Carson asked, breathlessly.

John frowned. "You _obviously_ have broken ribs, Carson, and I _obviously_ just found out where."

Carson groaned, gasping painfully.

John took the oxygen mask out of the medical pack again, and held it over his face.

"How many?" Carson asked.

John shook his head. "I don't know." He reached out his hand to feel again, looking at Carson as if for permission.

The doctor nodded at him, before closing his eyes and trying not to react.

"Two, looks like," John said a minute later. "And not where I expected. I assumed you broke them when you hit the ground, but they're on your left side, so it was obviously from the lion's weight when it knocked you down."

"Just my luck," Carson mumbled.

John watched him for a minute, wishing that he had more medical knowledge. "Since you're able to talk, I'm guessing that your lungs weren't punctured?"

Carson nodded. "Aye."

John went '_phew'_. "Anything else broken that we need to know about?"

Carson said nothing, eyes closed.

"Stay awake, doc! Is there anything in this pack that can slow the process of hypothermia?"

The barely-lucid doctor gave a chuckle at that, unintentionally making his ribs shift. He grimaced with a groan, wrapping his arm around himself and trying to curl up on his side.

"I assume that's a 'no'," John said to himself.

"Nothing…can do…that, lad," Carson gasped.

"Stay still," John told him, carefully touching the scratches with a towel. "You're still bleeding."

Carson's eyes opened. "Bleeding?"

John frowned. "What, you thought all that pain was just from your ribs?"

Carson tried to lift up his head, to see, but the motion pulled at his ribs and whiplashed neck and he groaned, laying his head back down.

"Easy, doc, I'll take care of ya."

Carson wasn't able to speak around the pain for a minute. "What about you?"

"I'm fine."

Carson doubted that, but there was literally nothing that he could do at the moment.

"Here," he heard.

Realizing that his eyes had closed again, Carson opened them and looked at John, seeing him holding various bottles of drugs.

"Can you take any of these?"

Carson sighed, forgetting the pain that such a motion would cause. "No…any o' those…would be…a death sentence."

John nodded. "Figured that. Because they cause drowsiness?"

Carson nodded, wincing at his aching neck.

John dug in the pack again. "Aha! Tylenol! You'll have to take them dry, doc, all our water is frozen."

They were both silent for a minute, at the implications of that statement.

John helped Carson sit up just enough to swallow the pills, and pulled the wet jacket off him. The bleeding from the lion's gouges soon stopped, to their relief, and John bandaged his ribs and covered him with the blankets again.

Suddenly, Carson spoke. "My shivering keeps stopping." He frowned at the odd sentence structure.

"I noticed," said John.

"It's no' from the blankets."

"I know that, too."

"This is not good."

"Nope, doc, it isn't."

"Are _you_ still shivering?" Carson asked, eyes unable to stay open.

"Yes," John answered.

"Good," said Carson, sleepily. "We can't go ta sleep."

"Then wake up."

Carson tried to open his eyes, and blinked blearily at John. "Where's yer blanket?"

John gestured. "Covering _you_."

Carson shook his head, re-closing his eyes. "If ya don't…take it back, you'll eventually…die."

_It looks like if you don't keep both, you're gonna die,_ John thought, nervously. He tried to think of a way to change the subject. It wouldn't be hard, with the currently slow-minded doctor. "We gotta stay awake, so we might as well talk. We were discussing our ages, earlier. When's your birthday?"

Carson smiled at that. "Ya won't believe it."

John frowned. "Why? Don't tell me it's today?"

"No, but it's soon. Jus' like yers is."

"Oh great," said John. "Birthdays are so embarrassing." He wanted for the doctor to continue, but he didn't. "Carson?"

No answer.

John reached out and shook his shoulder. "Doc! Wake up!"

Carson flinched and groaned.

"Sorry," John said, patting his arm. "Talk to me, doc; when's your birthday?"

"January 5th."

"I know when _my_ birthday is, Carson, I asked when _yours_ is."

"January 5th…told ya ya wouldn't…believe it."

John blinked. "What? You're telling me that we share the same birthday?"

Carson nodded, eyes still closed. "Yup…same day…different year."

"What year?"

"1969."

"So I'm two years older than you," said John, shaking his head. "Wow, who'd'a thunk it!"

Carson opened his eyes at that one. "Who what?"

"Forget it. Wow, we share the same birthday. What a party we'll have on Atlantis!"

"Ya said…birthdays are…embarrassin'."

"Yep, but since it's yours too, the focus won't only be on _me_!"

Neither of them stated the fact that they might not live to see the _morning_, nevermind their birthday…

TBC

Looks like Carson and John are in big trouble! ;) Some info on hypothermia: when the victim stops shivering, that's means that their body temperature has dropped to around 90-ish. Once that happens, the victim is on their way towards death if they aren't warmed up immediately. Unfortunately, the poor things aren't about to be rescued yet, lol... ;)


	5. Oh Crap

Hey everyone, here's chapter 5! Chapter 4 was posted while this site wasn't sending out author alerts, so if you don't know if you saw it, you might want to back up and check. Enjoy! ;)

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Carson drifted on the edge of dozing, where he lay inside the cave. He heard a voice calling him.

"Carson! _Wake! Up!_"

His eyes suddenly snapped open. _Did it again._ "Sorry," he said, as if he'd done something wrong.

John smiled slightly.

Carson frowned, as if suddenly remembering something. "Yer injuries?"

"Already taken care of," John said. "Just got a few cuts from our attacker. They're minor."

Carson pulled an arm out from under the blankets and reached out towards him. John knew what he wanted, and held out his wrist to the doc.

Carson felt for John's pulse, before making an exasperated sound.

"What, am I dead?" John joked.

"Can't feel it," the doctor said. "Fingers…numb."

"Well, I can assure you that I'm still alive," John told him, smiling.

Carson's arm dropped down and stayed where it lay. He was too weak to pull it back under the blankets.

The sight alarmed John, and he reached over and pulled the blankets over the doctor's arm. "Don't worry, doc, they'll find us. If it's not as soon as we hope, we'll just build an igloo."

"Igloo…igloo? I'm a doctor…not an Eskimo!"

John couldn't help but laugh at that. "Geez, Carson, you're like Dr. McCoy with Scotty's accent! I bet you do that on purpose, don't you?"

His friend gave no reply.

"Carson?" said John, reaching over to shake him. "Carson! Wake up!"

"Five…more…minutes…mum," the doctor mumbled.

"No! No minutes! Wake your Scottish self _up_, Carson!"

The doctor did just that, eyes popping open. "Sit me up," he said.

John frowned. "That will hurt."

"I know…the pain might…keep me awake."

"It doesn't seem to be doing that _so_ far!"

Carson sighed, forgetting how unwise such an action was. His face paled even further and he couldn't stop a groan.

John placed the oxygen mask back over the doctor's face, watching as he struggled to breathe through the pain. "Still want me to sit you up?"

"Nooooo…" Carson all but whined.

"Thought so." John turned to the medical pack, ruffling through it again. "There's gotta be _something_ that we can use in here!"

The renewed pain seemed to give Carson some alertness back. He pulled the oxygen mask off. "Stimulants…any?"

"Talking backwards, but at least you're making sense," John said. He pulled out some bottles that were labeled quite thoroughly. "Yup, doc, right here."

"Name?"

John frowned. "P…p…pingledipninophrel?"

"Lemme see."

John held it in front of the doctor's face, shining the flashlight.

Carson squinted, reading it. "Yeah, that'll do."

John took two syringes out of the pack. "Uh…can you do this?"

"Lean me against the wall."

John studied him. "I'd have to drag you back pretty far. Wait a sec." He grabbed the two survival packs and dragged them next to the doctor, before sliding an arm under him and lifting him up very slowly.

Carson bit his lip to avoid making any sound. He slapped the oxygen mask back on.

John shoved the packs behind the doctor, looking at him to see how he fared. "Okay?"

Eyes closed, Carson nodded, but the whimper that he failed to prevent disputed it.

"I'm sorry, doc," Sheppard said, hating to see the gentle civilian doctor suffer.

"S'okay," Carson mumbled. He removed the oxygen mask, his head lolling forward as he let out a careful breath. "Oh crap, it hurts…! No matter how many…patients I've treated…" He stopped, unable to continue talking.

"You never really know just how it feels until you experience it yourself?" John finished for him.

"Aye."

John sighed. "Well, here; before you fall asleep again."

Opening his eyes, Carson blearily looked at the syringes in John's hand. He reached out to take them before realizing that they were empty. "Can you fill them?"

"'Course, doc, I'm military," John said.

Carson smiled, relieved to hear that.

John made quick work of it, and handed one to the doctor.

"Thanks," Carson said. He reached out to take the syringe, trying to hide a wince. The pain in his ribs was increasing, and was affecting his breathing enough to make him dizzy. Once he had the syringe in his hand, his arm dropped back down and he closed his eyes, trying to gather some strength.

The sight alarmed John, who scooted closer, grabbing the doctor's arms. "Carson?"

"Just…gimme…a moment…"

John sighed, watching nervously. "Is there anything you aren't telling me, doc?"

"Huh…?"

"You seem in _really_ bad shape, here. You _were_ telling the truth when you said your lungs weren't punctured or anything, right?"

Carson nodded, eyes still closed. "Aye, lad. I'm just dizzy…from the pain…affecting my…breathing…"

John sighed again. "Don't talk then, unless you have to."

Carson nodded. Looking down at the syringe, he lifted it and pushed on the plunger a little, squeezing out any air that might be trapped inside. He motioned for John to give him his arm.

John obeyed, rolling up his still-wet sleeve.

Carson's hands shook, but he tried to be gentle as he stabbed the needle home and injected the stimulant. It was difficult, with his fingers still being numb from the cold.

John made no sound, barely noticing the sting since his body was so frozen. He rolled up Carson's sleeve for him, and handed him the second syringe.

When Carson tried to give himself the shot, the awkward position caused him to drop the syringe. John picked it up and helped him hold it.

Carson was so cold that he didn't even feel the needle go in. Sliding it out, he handed it to John, who put the cap back on and stuck them both in a used-needle bag included in the kit.

Both men felt their heartbeats quickly increase, in response to the drug.

"How long ya think…before they find us?" Carson asked a few minutes later.

"Not much longer, doc," said John. "I'm sure they're already looking."

"Good," Carson said, closing his eyes.

John sighed inwardly. When he saw that the doctor wasn't paying attention, he quickly stole a glance at his right leg, which had been bleeding the entire time they'd been in the cave. _Oh crap,_ he thought. He knew that Carson was in no condition to help him, so he'd kept it a secret. Focused on his leg, he didn't realize that Carson had completely stopped shivering…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Oh crap! _Look_ at this!" Rodney exclaimed, as they flew over the mainland. "It's a raging snowstorm! How are we gonna find them in _that_?!"

Teyla shook her head, worried. "I am not sure, but I sent a message to my people asking them to join the search. If they find any sign of them, they will notify us."

Rodney sighed. "Well _that's_ great, I don't see how _they'll_ be able to find them in this either! Especially in the dark!"

Teyla echoed the sigh. "I believe that we should send one of the Jumpers back to Atlantis, to bring back some things we may need that were not anticipated."

Rodney knew she referred to items that would help hypothermic patients. "Yeah, do that."

The Athosian woman obeyed, sending back Jumper 5 and asking Elizabeth to have the proper items ready.

They were quiet for a minute, before Rodney spoke again. "I hope they didn't crash. Carson is too nervous when trying to fly."

Teyla nodded. "Yes. I feel for him."

"You feel what, exactly?" Rodney couldn't help but ask.

Teyla rose an eyebrow at him.

Rodney smirked, before frowning. "I dunno why all the women fawn over him. 'Oh those blue eyes'!" he mocked, in a feminine voice. "Well, _I_ have blue eyes too!" He sighed, before suddenly snapping his finger. "I know! It must be the accent! Though I don't see how incorrect English could be very attractive…"

Teyla said nothing, letting him rant, knowing that he was terrified for his friend's safety. The longer their search went without sign of them, the more nervous they both became, and the more that Rodney babbled, until one of the marines told him to 'can it', hefting his P-90 as an incentive.

Rodney quickly shut up.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Carson, though not asleep, was definitely out of it; his body temperature falling too low for his brain to constantly maintain coherent thought.

It was finally John's chance to see to his own injuries.

The Major's right leg had three parallel claw marks that stretched down his entire calf, still bleeding sluggishly. The cuts looked very deep, and John was surprised that they weren't bleeding like a slaughtered pig. He cleaned them as best he could and wrapped his leg, wincing at its cold-induced stiffness.

Wrapping his arms around himself, he looked towards the cave opening, watching as the snow swirled in the wind. He hadn't let Carson see it, but he was very nervous; his own shivering was coming in starts and stops, and with weather like this, he didn't know if their friends would be able to find them before the hypothermia claimed their lives.

He wasn't looking forward to freezing to death.

Looking back at Carson, he felt a twinge of sadness. He didn't want the doc to die…Carson's friendly personality had helped him quickly become one of Atlantis' most popular people. There wasn't anyone who didn't like Carson. It was a ridiculous shame for the civilian doctor's life to end this way.

_I can't allow this, _John suddenly thought. _I can't just sit here and let us both die! What's wrong with you, MAJOR John Sheppard? _he asked himself. He realized that the hypothermia was seriously affecting the clarity of his thinking.

Standing, he limped/shuffled his way to the cave entrance, peering out into the snow. It had piled up so high that he found it hard to believe that mere hours ago, the ground had been nothing but brown dirt. He wished that there was some way to leave a sign in the snow of where they were, for search parties to find, but it was snowing so heavily that whatever he did would be covered again in a matter of minutes.

Turning, he shuffled back to where Carson lay. "Doc?" he said, stiffly kneeling beside him.

Carson gave no reaction and it sent a chill of fear through John. He patted the doctor's face, harder than he intended to; he couldn't feel his fingers at all.

A groan was the only sound he got out of Carson, but at least it showed that he was still awake…sort of. His skin was almost as white as the snow, and John wondered what he himself looked like.

With a sigh, he knew that there was only one thing left to do to save their lives.

"Oh, crap," he sighed. "You better not tell anyone about this," he said, pointing his finger at the half-conscious doctor. Sighing, he crawled under the blankets.

Carson said something, but his voice was unintelligible.

"Body heat, Carson," John defended himself unnecessarily. "Body heat."

TBC

Our poor boys are injured and freezing to death! Any volunteers to warm them up, ladies? ;)


	6. Out of Time

Hey everybody. By now I'm sure that at least _some_ of you saw the new episode, 'Sunday'. Whoever _hasn't_ seen it yet, if you don't want to know what happened in it, skip this author's note.  
Carson was my favorite character, and I feel that SGA won't be the same without him. I'm completely heartbroken over what happened to him; it was completely unfair, in my opinion. The only consolation that I have is the possibility that he somehow ascended, (the SGA people gave him the ancient gene for a reason!) which means that he can _descend_ and return to Atlantis! That's what I'm praying for, lol. I _need_ Carson! Please, SGA people, bring him back! Another possibility is when Michael held Carson prisoner in 'Misbegotten', he let the team rescue a clone, not the real Carson! If Michael really is in 'Vengeance', which is apparently the last episode of season 3, then maybe the real Carson will show up with him and shock the living crap out of everyone! lol! A third possibility is that that ep took place in some alternate reality, and Carson really is alive in the 'real' reality. Maybe John or Rodney ended up in an alternate universe, and when they make their way back home, guess what? There's Carson! lol! Now, **to all the dear fanfic authors**, _please_ don't stop writing about our dear doctor. Our stories can take place _before_ 'Sunday', or be labled AU if after it! Just because he's no longer on the show, (for just a short time, I say) it doesn't mean that we have to omit him from future stories. Even Dave Hewlett said in an interview, and I quote, "I personally believe that he'll be back." Long live Carson Beckett!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I wish we'd anticipated this weather!" Rodney exclaimed, as he flew. "How many blankets are in this thing?"

"I'll check," said one of the marines, going to the back.

Suddenly Teyla exclaimed, "The Jumper! It's a mile ahead of us, according to the scanners!"

Rodney smiled. "I hope they're still inside…"

Teyla nodded, looking through the windshield to see if she could spot it. "There it is!"

A second later, they were landing. At the sight of the crashed Jumper, they stared in shock when they realized that it was upside down.

_Only Carson could do something like_ _that_, Rodney thought.

Quickly, they boarded it, to find it disappointingly empty.

Looking out at the swirling snow, there was only one thing for Rodney to say. "Oh _crap_!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The night seemed to last forever. John's shivering stopped completely, as he switched between episodes of lucidity and incoherence while his body temperature continued to fall. Carson was too far gone for even that, remaining still through the night and hardly moving at all. The stimulant had to be wearing off, and on one of the occasions when John was actually able to think, he wondered if he should give them both another dose.

"Carson?" he said, shaking him, forgetting about his ribs. "Can we take more of the stimulant? Carson, can you hear me?"

The doctor groaned, but that was all that John could get out of him. His pulse was so slow that it was frightening.

John looked at his watch, using the light from his P-90. It was almost 3AM, which meant that they'd taken the stimulant roughly nine hours ago. Unless it was a twelve-hour drug, it couldn't be working anymore.

John reached for the medical pack and took out the bottle, with two more syringes. He filled them slightly less then the previous dose, scared at the thought of OD'ing them both. "Okay doc, you're gonna feel a prick in your arm…well, maybe you won't."

He appeared to be right; as he slipped the needle into Carson's skin, the doctor didn't even flinch.

Tossing the used syringe with the other two, he then gave himself the shot. _Carson would be proud, _he thought, his mind beginning to slip away again. Wondering when—or if—they were going to be rescued, he burrowed under their two measly blankets again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Quick communication between rescue parties spread the word of finding the downed Jumper. What was first thought to be good news was dashed at mention of it being empty. If they weren't in the Jumper, it was obvious where they had to be.

Thanks to the weather, the rescue mission may just have turned into a _recovery_ mission.

On Atlantis, Elizabeth refused to let herself believe that John and Carson were dead; having froze to death on a simple flying lesson. "Find them, Rodney." Her voice held obvious urgency.

Rodney winced, unsure if they would succeed. "We will," he promised. Closing the communication, he looked at Teyla, who was watching the life-sign detector.

Returning the look, the Athosian woman shook her head. "Nothing yet."

In answer, Rodney sighed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

John didn't know what woke him up, some kind of noise, maybe. All he knew was that he was confused and frozen solid. There was a sense of danger in his mind, and when he moved his arm, he felt something lying nearby. It took seemingly forever for him to open his eyes, and when he did, he blinked in the bright sunlight that filled the cave.

_Cave?_ he thought. _What am I doing in a cave? Pretty cold in here. Must be dreaming. Yeah. There's no caves on Atlantis. I'll just go back to sleep and—_

The word 'sleep' increased the feeling of danger and he popped his eyes back open. _Can't sleep…can't go to sleep…why? Why not, Carson?_

"Carson!" John bolted upright and nearly fell right back down again. Reaching out a sluggish arm, he fumbled for the pulse on his friend's neck. "Carson! Wake up!"

The pulse was so hard to find that John was filled with panic. It didn't help that the unconscious doctor's lips were blue.

"No, doc…no, you can't die, you better _not_ die!" John rambled. Laying his head on Carson's chest, he listened for a heartbeat, and thankfully found it. Sluggish and weak, but there. His breathing wasn't very good either; so shallow it was almost hard to see.

Looking at his watch, John squinted at the blurred numbers. The adrenaline that had filled him on thinking Carson dead was rapidly failing, and he found himself flat on his back again.

And suddenly, the noise that had woken him sounded again.

A growl.

Reopening his eyes, he looked towards the cave opening, to see the mountain lion sniffing at the snow. It confused him for a minute, before he realized that there was probably a lot of blood in it. Looking for his P-90, he saw it laying about six feet away. He tried to move, to retrieve it, but all his strength had deserted him.

_If you're looking for us Rodney,_ he thought, _you'd better find us NOW_…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Teyla to all parties, have you located any life signs?"

All the Jumpers reported nothing, except one, who had spoken with the Athosians. Teyla's people had found no trace of Carson and John either.

She sighed, looking at Rodney.

"This is Jumper 4!" a voice suddenly said. "We just picked up three life signs in the mountains!"

"Three?" Rodney said. He turned the Jumper around.

"We will be there in a moment," Teyla answered. "Can you tell us anything else?"

"Two of the signs are very faint," the voice continued.

"Hurry, Rodney!" Teyla exclaimed.

"I am, I am!" the flustered scientist replied.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

John could feel his consciousness slipping; one second he was watching the lion paw the bloody snow, and the next second the creature was walking inside the cave.

"Thanks a lot, Rodney," John mumbled, flipping over with difficulty. He tried to crawl towards the gun, but his body would hardly move; too cold and weak to respond to his brain's commands.

"Aw crap," he said.

Suddenly, John remembered his other gun; the one he'd given to Carson. He turned towards the doctor and yanked the blankets off. "Carson!" he exclaimed. "Where's the gun?! Where's the gun!"

In a flash, he remembered that he'd put it in his pack while bandaging Carson's ribs. He grabbed for it and pulled the gun out. Aiming it, he quickly pulled the trigger.

But nothing happened.

Realizing the safety was on, John hit the button, but it didn't move; the gun had gotten wet from the snow, and ice had formed over much of it.

The lion growled again and started walking towards him.

Fear once again gave John the adrenaline that he needed, and he lunged for the P-90. He grabbed it and pulled the trigger before even getting it off the ground.

The bullets didn't hit the lion, the gun not truly being aimed at it, but it was enough to scare the beast out of the cave.

Breathing heavily, flat on his stomach, John pulled the heavy gun closer to his body. His vision began to swirl, making him close his eyes.

He never even heard the Jumper approaching.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jumper 4 had located the cave that John and Carson were located in, but there was no place to land. They radioed the information to Rodney and Teyla, while searching for the closest place to set down. They had no choice but to land at the foot of the mountain.

Rodney's jumper arrived quickly, and the genius of Atlantis came up with the idea of hovering the jumper near the ledge while Teyla jumped out. She quickly ran into the cave, the sight that met her eyes chilling her blood.

Carson lay on his back, eyes closed. He was half-covered with blankets, and dried blood covered him.

John lay nearby, clutching his P-90. The only blood on him was on his leg, so Teyla went to the doctor first.

"Carson?" she called, quickly checking his pulse. "Carson, can you hear me?"

She got no reply.

Quickly digging through the packs, she took out two of the blankets that were in the Jumper and covered him with them, before digging out an ear thermometer. Her eyes widened at the reading, and she quickly moved on to John.

Checking his pulse, she found it slightly better than Carson's, and covered him with the other two blankets. When she stuck the thermometer in his ear, he moved his head, startling her.

"John!" she said. "Are you awake?"

A soft groan was her only answer.

"Teyla?! _Well_?!" Rodney's anxious voice came over her earpiece.

"They are alive," she told him. "Carson is unconscious, and they are both suffering from severe exposure. They also have injuries. Is Jumper 5 nearby?"

"Landing right now," he said. "I'm gonna have them do the hover thing; be there in a minute. Sheppard's awake? Can he talk?"

"John?" Teyla said again.

The Major said nothing, eyes fluttering but remaining closed.

"No, Rodney, he is barely awake."

"Okay," Rodney sighed. "We're almost there."

Teyla made sure that John had no other injuries besides his leg, before gently turning him over and pulling him beside Carson.

The sound of a hovering Jumper met her ears, and a few seconds later, Rodney and some marines came running into the cave, carrying packs of supplies.

Within minutes, both John and Carson's clothes were changed into ones that were much warmer. Oxygen masks were put over their faces, hats on their heads, and gloves on their hands. Finally, they were wrapped in so many blankets that they resembled cocoons.

Carefully, both men were carried out of the cave, and into the Jumper.

Teyla sat between them, placing her fingers on each of her friend's pulse-points in their necks. She frowned, her eyes widening. "Rodney!" she suddenly exclaimed. "Carson has no pulse!"

"What?!" the scientist shouted. He threw himself to his knees, checking for himself on Carson's other side. "Crap crap crap!" he exclaimed.

Without hesitation, Teyla bent over and breathed into the doctor's mouth.

Rodney did the chest compressions. "_One_, Carson! _Two_, don't die! _Three_, wake up! _Four_, oh crap! _Five_!"

Teyla checked Carson's pulse again, before giving him another breath.

They continued for another thirty seconds or so, before Teyla closed her eyes with a relieved sigh.

"He back?" Rodney asked, shakily.

She nodded.

Rodney watched his friend breathe for a minute before jumping up to radio Atlantis. "Elizabeth!" he said, trying to stop shaking. "We found them alive."

In the Control Room, everyone cheered.

Elizabeth's smile could've split her face. "Good job, Rodney! How are they?"

Rodney hesitated. "Wounded, very hypothermic. I'm not sure what caused their injuries, but heavy bleeding was involved with both of them. Carson's midsection, Sheppard's leg." He decided not to tell them yet that Carson's heart had stopped.

Elizabeth knew that that bleeding was bad when hypothermia was involved. "The crash?"

"I would say no," said Rodney. "There's no way they could've walked this far from the Jumper with injuries like this. They must have happened later."

Elizabeth frowned at that. "All right. Med teams are standing by."

Rodney nodded. "Good. We're on our way back." He closed the communication and crossed to the back of the Jumper, where they had space heaters blowing heat on John and Carson.

Teyla touched both of their faces. "They are so cold."

Rodney sighed. He stood and accessed a control panel in the Jumper, turning the heat up to 80. "It's gonna get really warm in here, people," he said. He doubted that anyone would complain—at first, anyway—as none of them had been dressed for such cold weather.

_Okay, winter comes early on this planet,_ he thought. _I wonder when spring starts…_

TBC


	7. Complications

When the Puddle Jumper landed in the Gate Room, Elizabeth dashed down the steps, accompanied by medical personnel and gurneys. John and Carson were carefully lifted onto them and whisked out of the room before Elizabeth could get a good look at them. Undeterred, she simply followed.

The infirmary was waiting, and became a bustle of activity as the patients came in.

Elizabeth, Rodney, and Teyla had no choice but to stay back.

"Details!" Elizabeth asked, sounding a little snappier than intended.

"Far as we can tell," said Rodney. "Carson flipped the Jumper and they couldn't contact Atlantis thanks to the damage—"

"He _flipped_ the Jumper?!" Elizabeth echoed, her eyes wide. "How do you flip a _Jumper_?!"

Rodney blinked. "I dunno. Ask Carson. Anyway, they must've set out to find help; maybe your people, Teyla. It started to snow and they got hurt by…something…and found the cave. Simple."

Elizabeth watched as the doctors and nurses assessed their friends. The blankets around them were loosened enough to attach heart monitors to their chests, and she frowned at the sight of bandages around Carson's midsection. Before she had a chance to ask the extent of his injury, a large machine was rolled to Carson's bed. One of the doctors took a quick look under the bandages before covering him back up with the blankets, leaving the wounds strangely untended. His left arm was then pulled out of the covers, and a large needle inserted into his forearm.

Rodney audibly gulped.

The sight unnerved Elizabeth. "What's that?" she asked.

Dr. Biro turned around, seeing the three friends anxiously waiting. "Similar to a dialysis machine. His temperature needs to come up immediately before he suffers some type of organ failure…" _If he hasn't already,_ she left unsaid. "…so we're going to warm up his blood externally."

"His body temperature on the planet was 82," Teyla said. "We had to perform CPR on him after moving him into the Jumper."

Elizabeth looked at her, mouth open, eyes wide as saucers. Covering her mouth with one hand, she looked back at Carson.

The CMO of Atlantis looked close to death, skin nearly as white as a Wraith's.

"What?!" Biro said to Teyla. "How long did he have no pulse?!"

"We don't know," Rodney realized, dread sinking into his stomach. "He was alive before we moved him. Teyla found no pulse immediately after we set him on the floor of the Jumper."

"How long did it take to revive him?" Biro asked, hooking Carson up to the machine.

"About half a minute," Rodney told her.

As Carson's blood began to sluggishly flow into the machine, Elizabeth turned, unable to watch, rattled by the fact that death had come so close to him from simply flying a Jumper.

John's bed was just feet away. She crossed to it, with Teyla following. "What was _his_ temperature?"

"85," she answered.

Elizabeth was surprised. "3 degrees higher."

Teyla nodded. "Everyone is different."

They watched as John was hooked up to IV's filled with warmed fluids, glad to see that he didn't have to go through the emergency blood-warming procedure that Carson did.

As the doctors and nurses fussed around him, John's eyes suddenly opened.

Elizabeth and Teyla both saw, and stepped forward.

"John?" Elizabeth said.

When the doctors saw him awake, they immediately peppered him with questions. They went unanswered though; the Major simply blinked sleepily, looking dazed. He quickly fell asleep without saying a word.

The two women smiled at each other with relief.

Turning to look back at Carson, Elizabeth frowned sadly at the sight that met her eyes.

Rodney was standing beside his friend's bed, with a hand on his arm…or rather, on top of the many blankets where Carson's arm would be. The look on his face showed fear, before mixing with relief as he closed his eyes and sighed.

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Carson's desk was very tidy, Elizabeth couldn't help but notice.

She, Rodney, and Teyla had been banished to the CMO's office by Dr. Biro, where they waited impatiently for news of their friends. When she finally came into the office, everyone turned towards her.

Biro put up a hand, to stave off questions. "They are both VERY lucky. Incredibly lucky." She shook her head. "Carson was the worst off, as I'm sure is obvious. The blood-warming technique is working, but we'll still have to monitor his organs for signs of damage. The wounds that he sustained to his torso were apparently bandaged in the cave by Major Sheppard, and had already stopped bleeding. We're waiting for his body to warm sufficiently before we tend them further. It would be foolish at this stage to remove the blankets."

"What about the fact that he needed CPR?" Elizabeth asked.

Biro sighed. "His brain activity is as expected for someone in his condition. I see no evidence yet that he was without oxygen for too long. Hypothermia dramatically slows down the body's mechanisms, so in a way, his low body temp may have helped in that department." She sighed. "In someone with a temp so low, the heart beats very irregularly, and believe it or not, moving them when they're in that stage often sets off cardiac arrest."

"So taking him out of the cave is what caused his heart to stop?" Teyla asked, shocked.

"Possibly," Biro said. "But moving him was what ultimately saved his life, so we'll have no guilt over it, understand?"

Teyla and Rodney looked at each other, knowing that she was right.

"When will he wake up?" Rodney asked.

Biro shrugged. "No way to tell. His body has been through quite an ordeal."

"And John?" asked Teyla.

"He's warming up well. The injuries to his leg will be tended soon." She shook her head. "What I'm curious about, is _what_ caused the injuries. They look like claw marks."

Elizabeth's eyebrows shot up. "You think an animal attacked them?"

"That's how it looks," said Biro.

Everyone was silent for a moment, surprised to find out that there were wild beasts on the mainland that had gone undiscovered until now.

"I know that I won't be able to stop you from seeing them," said Biro. "Just remember to move out of the way fast if something happens, please."

Everyone nodded, silently, before following her out the door.

Carson and John's beds were conveniently beside each other. Each of them had IVs of blood and fluids. The blood-warming machine was still at work beside Carson's bed, and heart monitors loudly beat out unsteady rhythms.

Both men still looked like death warmed-over. Pun not intended.

"What's their prognosis?" Elizabeth asked.

"They should both recover," Biro said. "As long as there are no complications."

"_Should_ recover?" said Elizabeth.

"Complications? Like what?" Rodney asked.

Biro sighed. "There are many. See Carson's heart monitor?"

Everyone followed her gaze, watching it.

_Beep…beep…beep…_

"What about it?" Rodney asked.

"Keep watching."

_Beep…beep…beepbeepbeepbeep……………beep…_

Rodney's jaw dropped. "Okay that was NOT normal!"

Biro shook her head. "That'll hopefully go away once his body temp comes up enough. If not…we'll have to deal with it then. Other complications in severe hypothermia include pneumonia and organ failure, especially the kidneys and pancreas. If Carson's temp had fallen anymore than it did, he either would've been dead when you found him, or you probably wouldn't have been able to revive him when his heart stopped."

Rodney shivered, despite the warmer-than-usual infirmary.

For a minute, everyone just stood there silently. Rodney watched the heart monitor, wondering if Carson's heart would do that scary arrhythmia again.

A few seconds later, it did.

Dr. Biro sighed.

"What about his injuries?" Teyla asked. "When I found them on the planet, there was much blood on his clothes."

Biro walked to the head of the bed. "I'm not sure yet. I want him to warm up some more before we tend them." She lifted the blankets to get a peek, before giving a gasp. "He's bleeding!"

She threw back the blankets, displaying the suddenly blood-soaked bandages.

Elizabeth, Rodney, and Teyla all stepped back as Biro called for some nurses, one of which was told to take Carson's blood pressure and the other to fetch another unit of blood.

"BP is 45/20!" the nurse exclaimed.

"Crap!" Biro said, obviously adopting Carson's much-used exclamation. "We need to deal with this _now_! More hot water bottles!" She readied an injection of something and shot it into the unconscious doctor's IV.

The first nurse returned with the blood, and Biro quickly hooked it up to Carson.

Rodney watched, eyes as big as saucers. He was sure that he was about to witness his best friend's death. The blood pressure reading seemed unreal, though he knew that severe hypothermia often lowered blood pressure to almost nothing. For bleeding—_more_ bleeding—to complicate matters seemed like more than Carson's body could handle at the moment.

Nurses returned with hot water bottles wrapped in towels, and placed them on Carson's exposed skin.

A few seconds later, Biro had the bandages cut off.

The horrible cuts that marred the doctor's skin were hideous. One of the nurses ran off for suture supplies.

"Bring the portable x-ray machine too!" Biro shouted.

Within the next fifteen minutes, they had Carson stitched, x-rayed, and cocooned again.

During that time, Rodney counted the number of times his friend's heart flipped out: five.

"Two of Carson's ribs are broken," Biro said, having dashed off to look at the x-ray.

Teyla frowned. "Did we cause them with the CPR?"

Rodney felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. To cause such injury to his friend when he was already so sick was an unbearable thought.

Biro shook her head. "No. They _are_ on his left side, but lower down."

Rodney sighed with relief. "So what does this mean for him?! Things just got a whole lot worse! Why the heck did he suddenly start bleeding again?!

Biro sighed. "His extremely-low body temperature is what made the initial bleeding stop. Now that he's warming up, his circulation is going again and renewed the bleeding. If I'd known that the wounds were so deep, I would have been prepared to expect that." She sighed again. "He has quite a recovery to make. Why don't you all go get something to eat, huh? I'll call you if there's any change."

Rodney shook his head and walked over to a nearby chair. He picked it up and placed it between Carson and John's beds, sitting down.

No one was surprised at that, and no one made him leave.

TBC  
To all the celcius people, Carson's temp was 27.7 and John's was 29.4, according to an online fahrenheit-to-celcius converter!


	8. Wakey, Wakey!

Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews! Can I have some more? LOL ;) Here's chapter 8, only one chapter left after this one! (sniff)

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"Doctor! He's waking up!"

The sudden voice startled him, and John worked on trying to open his eyes. It was _not_ easy.

"Sheppard?" the voice continued. "John?"

"John, please wake," said another voice. A soothing female one. He liked the sound of that one better, and turned his head towards it.

Teyla smiled when John's eyes opened. "Welcome back," she said.

John blinked at her a couple times, looking at all the people surrounding his bed. He felt like someone was missing, and it took a minute for him to remember what had happened. When it came back to him, he almost jumped out of the bed.

"Carson!" he exclaimed. "Where is he?!"

"Right here," said Rodney.

John looked at him, following his pointing finger. He stared at the still-unconscious doctor. "Is he all right?"

Everyone hesitated.

"He _will_ be," Dr. Biro said.

The next fifteen minutes were spent telling John about Carson's condition, hearing the events that had happened on the mainland, and getting John some food.

As he ate, he couldn't help but look at Carson every once in a while. "When will he wake up?"

Rodney shrugged. "They don't know."

John watched their sick friend for a minute. "Why the brain-activity monitor?"

Rodney froze. He'd forgotten to mention Carson's interrupted trip down the white tunnel. "Uh…"

John had been in the infirmary enough times to figure it out. He abruptly stopped chewing. "No?!"

Rodney nodded. "Yes. Right after we put you both in the Jumper. Teyla and I did CPR."

John dropped his fork, shaking his head. He stared at his hands, at the bandages that were wrapped around obviously frostbitten fingers. He was lucky to be able to eat by himself at the moment.

Rodney watched him. "You're not blaming yourself for anything, are you?"

John sighed. He had to admit that he couldn't've prevented Carson from crashing the jumper—that wasn't even Carson's fault. It was due to that strange atmospheric disturbance that had knocked them out of the sky.

He wondered if microbursts preclude _every_ blizzard on this planet.

"No," he finally said.

Rodney smiled at that. "Good."

Something suddenly came back to John. "Did Biro manage to figure out that Carson has whiplash?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Lightning flashed. _

_Carson stood on top of a mountain, alone, overlooking the mainland. If he turned around, he could see Atlantis in the distance. _

_He desperately wanted to be home, but it seemed an impossible task to get there._

_Turning to look back at land, he saw the swirling snow, shivering when it suddenly surrounded him. Rubbing his arms to create warmth, he realized that he had no way to get off this mountain._

_He would die here. Alone._

_A sudden growl met his ears, and he looked to the right. What resembled a mountain lion crouched nearby, and, without warning, lunged at him._

"Carson! Wake up, will you?!"

With a gasp, Carson snapped his eyes open. His eyes darted from one person to the other, seemingly unseeing.

"Calm down, Carson!" Biro said. "Your heart's going haywire!"

In his disoriented state, Carson couldn't even hear the irregularly-beeping heart monitor.

"John?" he suddenly heard. "What are you doing? Get back in bed!"

The faces above his own suddenly backed away, and John's filled his vision.

"We made it, Carson," John told him, gripping his upper arms to keep him still. "We survived! We're home on Atlantis."

The word 'Atlantis' brought back Carson's dream, how badly he'd wanted to be home. "W-we are?" he asked, softly.

John, still pale, nodded with a smile. "Yeah."

Carson's breathing started to calm—especially when he felt the pain of his broken ribs. It didn't hurt as much as it could've, and as he blinked his eyes and noticed the slight odd distortions to his vision, he figured out why. "Crap," he said, closing his eyes.

"What's wrong?!" he heard. It was Rodney. A nervous-sounding Rodney.

Carson turned his head to the left, seeing his friend standing on the other side of the bed. "I hate morphine," he mumbled.

The comment brought smiles to everyone's faces. Elizabeth and Teyla walked forward, after John released Carson's arms and stepped back.

"How do you feel?" Elizabeth asked.

Carson smiled slightly. "Tired, though I have a feelin' that I've been sleepin' a long time?"

"_Too_ long," said Rodney. "Teyla and I rescued you yesterday morning! That makes it…" he looked at his watch. "A day and a half!"

"Sorry," said Carson. He shivered.

"Are you cold?" Teyla asked.

"A little," Carson answered. "Nothin' compared ta how cold I was in the cave." The thought made him shiver again, and he closed his eyes, reopening them for a second when he felt a blanket laid on top of the pile already covering him. "Thanks, lass."

Teyla smiled.

Carson's eyes blinked sleepily, so Dr. Biro stepped said, "I think we should let him sleep."

Everyone nodded, though they were reluctant to leave. Whispering 'sleep well' wishes, they quietly stepped away.

"Rodney," Carson suddenly called. "Teyla."

They all stopped and looked at him.

"Thanks for the rescue," he told them, smiling.

"Anytime," Rodney said. "But don't make this a habit, huh?"

"We would never leave you behind, Carson," Teyla told him.

Their smiles were the last thing he saw before he fell asleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day, both John and Carson were much better. John tried all day to get released to his quarters, but Carson would have none of it.

"Ya ain't goin' nowhere, Major," said the doctor.

"But I'm fine!" John said, crossing his arms. "_You're_ the one who needs to stay here, not me."

"And I am," Carson said. He almost sighed, but caught himself in time. "Don' make me talk too much, lad, it hurts."

John winced. "Sorry."

They were silent for a minute, when Carson's heart monitor suddenly beeped itself into its crazy pattern.

"Och," Carson said, watching it.

John swung his legs off the bed and sat in the chair next to Carson's. "I thought that should've gone away by now."

Carson nodded, watching as the rhythm settled back to normal. "It shoulda."

John sighed. "Well, maybe it will, soon, after you recover more."

Carson suddenly tried to sit up, but John reaching out a hand to stop him, plus the pain in his ribs made him stop. He'd refused morphine that day, opting for a less mind-addling drug instead. "I wanna see m'chart. Can ya get it fer me?"

John had a feeling that Biro wouldn't want Carson to read it, but he couldn't refuse. Nodding, he stood and went to the end of the bed, lifting it off the hook and bringing it to him.

"Thanks," Carson said. "Now get back in bed."

But John had no intention of that. "Aw come on, doc, my limbs were getting numb. Can't I have a few more minutes?"

"All right," Carson said. He knew how John felt, and wished that _he_ could get up too. Laying the chart beside himself, he pulled the papers off awkwardly. His fingers were still bandaged from the frostbite; which was minor on both him and John, something that he earnestly thanked God for. He held the papers in front of his face and started reading.

John watched, surprised when he saw a look of shock pop up on the doctor's pale face. "Carson?" he said.

Carson kept reading, not acknowledging him at first. "My…my heart stopped?"

John winced. "That's what they told me."

"Eighty-two degrees?!" Carson's read, his face paling even more. "Gimme _yer_ chart!"

John obeyed.

Carson read them both, wishing that he could sit up. When he finished, he let the papers tip over backwards, where they landed on his stomach.

"Carson?" said John.

"I'm fine, lad," he replied. He was quiet for a few minutes, before saying, "When we were in Antarctica, I treated patients that had charts like these," he said. "Some o'them didn't survive." He looked at John. "We were rescued in the nick o' time."

John nodded. He watched Carson for a second, seeing how shaken he was over the situation. He tried to think of something funny to say. "Well, doc, at least you got something good out of this."

Carson frowned. "What's that?"

"Mouth-to-mouth from Teyla!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

An hour later, Rodney and Teyla brought them dinner.

"Oh, Teyla," Carson said, fumbling to hit the button to raise the bed…Biro had finally allowed him access to the control. "Come're, lass."

Teyla obeyed, setting down the tray.

Carson motioned for her to lean over, and when she did he reached up to pull her head closer and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you, love, fer saving my life."

She smiled. "_You_ have saved so many lives, it was time to return the favor."

Carson smiled and patted the side of his bed, where she sat.

"You're welcome, Carson," Rodney said, sarcastically. "Since _I_ helped her do it." He suddenly blinked. "I don't want a kiss, though."

Everyone laughed at that.

Carson held his aching ribs, trying to hold the laughter back. It wasn't helping. "Thank you too, Rodney!"

As they ate, they made pleasant conversation. Asking how they felt resulted in the typical 'fine' answer, though it was a definite improvement that Carson's heart flipped out less often today than it had yesterday.

After dinner, Biro finally said that John could sleep in his own quarters.

Carson was actually sad to see him go, not wanting to lose the company. After he left, Carson was alone, and it brought back memory of the disturbing dream that he'd had right before he'd woken in the infirmary. He sighed, despite the pain to his ribs, and watched the heart monitor.

The beat was steady at the moment, as normal as anyone's.

It scared him to think that damage might have been done…a permanent arrhythmia. It would affect everything in his life, especially his job.

He hadn't stared at the monitor very long before he heard people come in. He looked up to see John, Rodney, and Teyla.

John was carrying a tray. "What's up, doc?" he said.

Rodney laughed.

"I always wanted to say that!" John continued.

Carson couldn't help laughing too. Many of his patients had said that to him over the years.

Teyla didn't understand the reference, so John told her that he would explain later.

"What ya got there?" Carson asked, happy to see them.

"Dessert," John said. "Cocoa and cookies!"

Carson loved cocoa. He eagerly raised the head of the bed.

Everyone sat down in chairs beside him, and John handed out the food.

Carson took a sip, closing his eyes happily. "Great stuff," he said.

Teyla frowned as she looked into her cup. "You drink mud?"

John snorted his cocoa and spit it all over Rodney.

"AUGH!" Rodney exclaimed.

Carson looked at Teyla, who winked and raised her cup towards his in a mock-toast. He clinked his cup against hers, not bothering to hide his smirk.

TBC


	9. Party Time!

Hey everyone! Here's the last chapter of 'Stranded'. Enjoy, and thank you for your reviews! This story was so fun to write! ;)

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A month later, the mess hall was packed; seemingly filled with every person on Atlantis. No one was surprised, for it was a very special occasion, after all.

Carson and John walked down the hall together, having been told by Elizabeth and Rodney to be there at a particular time and to _not be late_. They both knew what was coming.

Carson's arrhythmia had finally improved, to everyone's joy, and he had been released from the infirmary exactly a week after they'd been rescued from the cave. The fact that he hadn't suffered any other complications was an incredible relief, as things could have been worse for the doctor. He was forced to stay on medical leave for quite a while, especially while his heart still occasionally reminded him of the near-fatal incident, but it was good—_so good_—to be alive.

The two friends reached the mess hall and stopped before the door, looking at each other apprehensively.

"After you," said John.

"Oh, thank ya ever so much," Carson said. "And everyone thinks _I'm_ the scaredy cat!"

John clapped him on the shoulder. "Go on," he said. "I'm _always_ in the spotlight. It's your turn."

Cason rolled his eyes, but smiled.

John smiled back, and they both walked in.

"Happy Birthday!" everyone shouted. It was thunderous.

John made a face as if he was surprised. It made many people laugh.

Teyla and Elizabeth came over and escorted them to the head table, where Rodney was fooling around with something, his back turned. When they reached him, he picked something up and plopped it on Carson's head.

It was a party hat, with a fuzzy pink ball at the top.

The crowed erupted in laughter.

Carson blushed, whacking Rodney on the arm.

John laughed just as loudly as everyone else, and Rodney motioned for them both to sit down. As they passed his seat, Rodney pulled another hat from behind his back, and plopped it on John's head.

The sight set everyone off again.

Carson laughed, a hand on his aching ribs. He had a feeling that after this night was over, he'd need a higher dose of painkillers.

John took off the hat and plopped it on Rodney.

"Hey, it's not _my_ birthday!" the scientist said.

"Not _yet_," John replied. He made it sound like a threat, though he was smiling.

Rodney took off the hat and plopped it back where it belonged; on John's head. "Cake time!" he yelled, turning to the crowd and holding out his arms, as if ready to conduct an orchestra.

"Happy Birthday to you!" everyone began to sing. "Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday John and Carson, Happy Birthday to you!"

"And many mooooooooore!" Rodney shouted, in Carson's ear.

The two birthday-boys looked at each other, laughing as people clapped. Carson could feel another blush creep up his cheeks from the attention of so many people, and he inwardly sighed at his timid nature.

"Blow out the candles, already!" Rodney said.

John and Carson both stood, Sheppard giving Carson a hand, astutely noticing that the doctor's ribs were hurting. The cake that stood on the table before them was nothing short of huge, with apparently enough candles for both their ages.

Taking a deep breath, they blew out the candles, John doing most of the work thanks to Carson's ribs.

The applause as the candles went out was loud enough to hurt their ears.

Elizabeth, sitting beside John, stood, and everyone hushed down.

"Today, we don't only celebrate the birthdays of Carson Beckett and John Sheppard," she said. "But we also celebrate the fact that they are _here_, with us, today."

Everyone clapped again.

"We almost lost them both last month," she continued. Turning to the two men, she looked at them. "And that would have been a crippling blow to us all."

Carson and John both smiled at her.

Suddenly Teyla stood, holding a bottle of champagne that made John's eyebrows shoot up.

_Who smuggled that from Earth?_ he wondered.

Teyla handed it to Elizabeth along with a wine glass, before placing a glass in front of herself, Carson, John, and Rodney.

"I've been saving this for the perfect occasion," Elizabeth continued, opening the bottle and pouring it into the glasses. She raised hers, and everyone in the room raised their cups of tea and coffee.

"To John Sheppard and Carson Beckett," Elizabeth said, smiling at them. "May this be the best birthday of your, _hopefully_, very long lives."

Chuckles spread through the room, along with shouts of, 'To John and Carson!'

They drank, and everyone clapped again.

Carson's blush deepened, and he looked at his friends, smiling and getting many smiles in return. After all the dangerous, life-threatening situations that they'd been involved in, he'd often wondered if it had been worth coming to Atlantis all those months ago. _Aye, _he decided. _It was definitely worth it._

THE END  
It's over! (sniff) I hope you all enjoyed it! ;)


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